Garry Ringrose, a renowned Irish rugby centre, is vying for a place on the upcoming Lions tour. Despite his exceptional talent and consistent performance for Leinster and Ireland, he has been overlooked for the past two Lions tours. This year, he faces a particularly tough challenge with Andy Farrell's selection decisions and competition from other strong contenders.
He has missed out on two Lions tours, 2017 and 2021, and might not have been balling crying at one particular international coach losing his job this week - although the politest of the polite at the best of times, the Irishman will not have spoken a word.
READ MORE: Finlay Bealham, the Six Nations, two wins and the 'masked assailant wrestlers' READ MORE: Simon Easterby emerges as strong contender to succeed Warren Gatland as next Wales head coach A blank despite that seamless attacking style, wonderful footwork-first and acceleration-afterwards that makes him, when negotiating heavy traffic at speed, one of the finest attacking centres the world has ever seen. He was beloved of Joe Schmidt, so much so the then Ireland coach was just short of asking the youngster to forgo sixth year at school so he could train full-time with Ireland. While it was clear there was going to be something special in his Leinster partnership with Robbie Henshaw, 18 months his senior - it has been outstanding and is in its 10th season. He has even survived an Ireland complication; Bundee Aki was conjuring up a storm out west starting 2014 and, indeed, had played with Henshaw for a PRO12 winning season before the latter's defection east... And while Schmidt wasn't initially smitten he handed over the no12 jersey through 2018 and 2019 to the Connacht player albeit keeping Ringrose as his preferred outside centre. Andy Farrell's ascension to the Ireland throne saw Aki remain at first-centre but when it came to Lions selection, it has to be assumed Farrell was aware of Gatland's opinions of Robbie Henshaw and reservations about Ringrose. The New Zealander's first-up plan was not only to pull a rabbit out of the hat by picking Aki to tour in the first place but to play him at no12 in the Test team...with Henshaw at no13. This, at that point, was contrary to everything Ireland were thinking and, remember, Farrell was the person who moulded and crafted Ireland thinking... Then again the Ireland/Lions picture focuses on defence as well and, firstly, whether Ireland are comfortable adapting the Leinster-Nienaber defence which requires the four three-quarters to be of the one mind. Given Aki and Mack Hansen don't play for Leinster, they haven't got the required '14 games to learn it' under their belt. The Lions, without a doubt, won't be using the Nienaber Defence as they won't have 14 weeks to learn it and, besides,they may only have two/three Leinster players in the entire back division "I'm lucky to have been in the two environments for so long and I love the challenge, " continues Ringrose of switching between Leinster and Ireland's defensive systems. "I've an understanding of the system that Simon has in place at Ireland and the system we have at Leinster and they kind of help each other in terms of taking stuff from Leinster that could benefit here and vice versa. Signs on, it's difficult to know what to make of Ireland selection two games into the 2025 Six Nations. So far it has been Aki-Ringrose with Henshaw on the bench for England, Aki-Henshaw with Ringrose on the bench for Scotland... And with Wales and Italy still to come we may have to wait until France in-between to find out just what the first-choice pairing is - and for 'first choice pairing' that essentially means favourites to take the Lions squad spots. Farrell is, of course, free to take three Ireland centres on the Lions tour but there is some competition about given Sione Tuipolutu is due for a March comeback, Huw Jones opened with hat-trick albeit got run over by Henshaw last time out, while Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence have been among England's best performers. And all of this providing Farrell is not thinking of taking Owen Farrell to fill the no12 slot as four of his out-halves are relatively young and have scant experience. Ringrose will want to keep his name in the hat in this Six Nations period at a time when Ireland's Aled Walters says selection in the centre is not about S&C rotation or concerns the three players involved are in their thirties, but is on merit on a game for game basis. "I think certainly as centres we'd be pretty open and relaxed amongst each other," says Ringrose of the chop-and-change and with half-a-nod to the idea Ireland might take a look at Jamie Osborne as a hapless Wales may double as this year's 'Italy' for whom Ireland usually bring in a few squad players to start. "Over the last couple of years, we've all been challenged to play on any given week, either it's rotation, injury, form. "And what's brilliant is it's really competitive in training but then at the end of the day, certainly as a centre group, we just want to do our best to help the team win. "If you ask myself, Bundee or Robbie at the moment, those of us that are rotating - and there's a few guys that haven't been in yet - that would be their answer as well. We're all kind of on the same page from that perspective." Given it is a Lions year, it is unlikely anyone would rest up voluntarily, and Ringrose is keen to make the Tour."What I do is, I am in control of how I turn up and train and prepare for a Six Nations game, and I want to take full advantage of any opportunity I get whether that is starting, on the bench or not involved, and that would be to the forefront of my focus." "It's great, certainly as a no13, the way you're presented with different defensive pictures. I love the challenge of it and everyone is across their work here so the expectation is you've got to deliver what's asked of you." Ringrose is entitled to be positive all the same, he inked a new three-year IRFU contract back in January although the news was deliberately held back and released this week - it keeps Ireland front-and-centre on the Six-One News on a weekend the League of Ireland restarts. "It’s just a privilege to play with the club I grew up watching, Leinster, and to continue to play or be involved and backed by Ireland. "My motivation is to do anything I can to help any team I’m involved in, whether that’s starting on the bench, or not involved. That will be my motivation and driving force for the next three years."There’s an expectation that you have to find a way to be mentally ready, whether you’re called in the first minute or the last. It’s a challenge I enjoy getting after, wherever I’m required to help the team, whether it’s on the wing or in the centre, I’m happy to give it a go." While at the same time preparing for Wales in the expectation of starting and that Lions boss Farrell will be watching. "Wales is such a big challenge for us. Any time I’ve gone to the Millennium Stadium it’s been an unbelievably tough game, and I don’t know if Ireland has the best record there. "It’s very much sticking to the process. It’s great that we started with the two wins but it’s back to the grind, back to the process, getting ready for the challenge they’ll pose. "It’s a little bit of an unknown with the transition of coaches, which means we’ve just got to prepare as best as we possibly can." The Six Nations has been good for Ireland to here and they will be hot favourites to post a bonus-point win against Wales. "To come away with 10 points from the first two games, we're delighted from that perspective. What's been great is there has been loads of good in the games. "But then there are things that we are reviewing and looking back at and trying to get better at, so we're getting the best of both worlds I guess. To have 10 points in such a competitive group of teams, yeah we're delighted." Ringrose doesn't just want to slay Dragons next week, he wants to be seen in the ring with the Lions too. 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